I don't believe that there's a country
in the world, perhaps in the universe, that takes food as seriously
as they do in France. I suppose that the Italians and the Spanish and
the Greeks might disagree, and to be sure the cuisines of those
countries, among others, deserve thorough investigation. But the
French are just so gosh darn serious about it. From the epic and
definitive (in its day) Larousse Gastronomique
to iconic Julia Child and her revival through the efforts of that
annoying Julie person, the French and those who treasure the French
style have set the standard. It's idiomatic: If you haven't studied
in France, if you haven't apprenticed in France, if you haven't
cooked in France, you haven't made The Big Show.
For the less sports
minded among you, The Big Show – or just The Show – is how minor
leaguers refer to Major League Baseball.
I don't mean to
imply that there's no such thing as fast food in France. The French
can be in a hurry and are not above eating on the run. But we're not
talking about tuna fish stuffed between two slices of white bread.
And, although McDonald's and KFC and others have made inroads
physically if not culturally, French fast food isn't about
drive-thrus. Thank God they haven't penetrated into the Languedoc to
my knowledge.
So what exactly is
French fast food? One of those great baguettes, cut in half,
sliced lengthwise, and containing fresh lettuce, a slice of cheese,
and a taste of meat, just enough to flavor the loaf but not overwhelm
it.
But this post is
about restaurants. French restaurants. Not the 5-Star variety, but
the restaurants that you find in the small villages with menus driven
by a chef with enough skill and enough capital to cook what they want
to cook when they want to cook it. This can be a good thing or this
can go wrong.
We're foodies, so we're living in just the right place. From the most humble eatery to the finest restaurant, in the supermarkets and the markets in village squares, folks know and demand the good stuff. HERE are a few restaurants that are up to that demand.
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